Elizabeth Soberanes started dancing at San Francisco’s Rhythm and Motion Dance Center in 1985. She holds a BA in Dance Ethnology from SFSU where she earned an Award for Academic Excellence and Professional Promise. She has studied Dunham Technique, Afro-Haitian, Brazilian, Cuban, Modern, Capoeira, Hip Hop and Jazz Dance. In 1989 she participated in her first Carnaval with Escola Nova de Samba and since then participated several years as dancer, and eventually Assistant Director for Ginga Brazil Carnaval Group. For over 20 years, she has worked as an arts educator, administrator and producer for prominent organizations such as Performing Arts Workshop, World Arts West, East Bay Center for the Performing Arts, and Carnaval San Francisco. She has performed and choreographed with several local ethnic dance companies and was crowned Queen of Carnaval SF in 2001. She has toured Brazil and Cuba to study dance and participate in their Carnaval celebrations, and traveled to New York, Puerto Rico and Miami to study dance, fitness and participate in Salsa Congress workshops. In November 2009, Elizabeth traveled with Carnaval King Miguel Mendoza to Tokyo, Japan to model for a motion captioning project resulting in “Just Dance” a Latin Dance video game by LandHo Productions.

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Elizabeth taught Fusion Rhythms Workout from 2001 to 2011 and in 2008 created Latin Dance Grooves to share her love for the art of Latin dance with others in a welcoming environment. In 2009, she started LDG Carnaval Contingent because of the students’ desire to participate in the SF Carnaval Parade. The group quickly became an Award-Winning Carnaval Contingent working with talented artists such as Bianca Coleman, Eyla Moore, Regina Califa Calloway, Javier Manuel Gordillo Barrera, Susana Arenas Pedroso, Dudley Flores, Douglas da Silva, Costumer Wendy Miller, Makeup Artist Shawn Peltier and Videographers Van Nguyen-Stone and Alma Herrera-Pazmiño. Elizabeth has proudly coached an impressive 6 Carnaval King and Queen Winners, and runner-ups at the highly anticipated SF Carnaval King & Queen Competition. In January 2014, she started the LDG Performance Ensemble to perform in the community and provide teacher training opportunities. LDG Ensemble performed at the SF Carnaval Festival, SF Carnaval King & Queen Competition, SF Pride Festival Latin Stage, La Fusion Latin-Global Convergence, at fundraisers at El Rio and Cesar’s Latin Palace, the 2014 Miami Salsa Congress, Bay Area Cuban Festival and the SF Salsa Rueda Festival. Elizabeth and members of Latin Dance Grooves participated and performed in the Baila-en-Cuba International Dance & Music Festival and at El Palenque with FolkCuba both in Havana, Cuba. Elizabeth believes that dance is a healing force for physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being for the individual and the community.